D&D 5E Warlock build help

[Snapdragyn]

I'm anticipating (hoping for!) a campaign reboot once 5e launches, & am enamored of the 5e warlock. OMGSOGOOD!

I'm currently looking at filling a primarily battlefield control role. Here're my thoughts (& many questions) so far:

Flavor/Basic Character Concept

The character was a student at an arcane university, studying to become a wizard. He found a few dusty scrolls in a corner of the library, which led to further research in forgotten tomes by the same author, which led one night to a mind-bending experience where he made contact with something he knows only as The Lord of Mists.

He was expelled shortly thereafter.

Now he's adventuring... perhaps fulfilling missions for this being, perhaps seeking to thwart its goals, perhaps aiming for one but unknowingly achieving the other. Lots of great possibilities there, but more into the DM side of stuff I think.

His patron's 'thing' (& thus his own) is concealing and revealing the Truth... a keeper of secrets & master of illusions seeking to uncover and disseminate forbidden knowledge. 'One cannot recognize the Truth if one does not understand how it is concealed.'

(Spy background would work to fit his more current situation, but I prefer Sage to reflect where he was at when he found his patron... or it found him.)


Race

Forest Gnome (for Minor Illusion cantrip). Stats (27 point buy, AFTER racial adjustments): 8-14-12-10-10-18

or

Human (if feat variant allowed) (Feat: Medium Armor). Stats (27 point buy, AFTER racial adjustments): 8-14-12-11-10-18

Here I'm leaning a bit toward gnome, mainly for flavor, although the advantage on Int, Wis, & Cha saves is nothing to sneeze at. Darkvision may be superfluous to the build; see below. OTOH, Medium Armor could be as much as a 3 point AC gain - very tempting indeed!


Patron

Archfey or Great Old One. Both offer some good crowd control options, both could fit the character flavor (provided the fey could be something sufficiently dark & creepy).


Pact

Now we start getting into the real questions. Oh boy.

Flavor-wise, Pact of the Tome. Sure. 3 bonus cantrips - eh, ok. I could see doing Druidcraft for flavor (especially w/ an Archfey patron, but really either way). Then probably Ray of Frost (I'd probably do Eldritch Blast & Amanuensis as the class cantrips at level 1, for something useful + something flavorful).

However...

The special familiar from Pact of the Chain could be useful to deliver touch attacks - especially good if I go gnome & thus have lower AC.

BUT...

I rather like the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation (learn 2 1st-level ritual spells from any class list + gain the ability to learn others). I could use this to gain a (regular) familiar to deliver touch attacks, & there are some decent higher level rituals. This would let me stay w/ the more flavor-fitting Pact of the Tome, and even add more flavor w/ another big musty book to lug around.

OTOH (hmm, this many hands, maybe he IS touched by a Great Old One)...

Finding recorded spell knowledge is always a rarity in our campaign (so I hate to count on ever getting any of the good ones); this might make that invocation decidedly less desirable - and it does eat up a very precious invocation slot.

Can't decide! Ack!


Invocations

Level 2

1 - Misty Visions (obviously; fits the concept perfectly)
2 - ???

Well, Book of Ancient Secrets if I go that route... or Devil's Sight is pretty amazing (especially to combine with Darkness once that spell is available to him).

If I go chain pact, perhaps Voice of the Chain Master (though it doesn't seem that great to me, tbh).

Level 5

Devil's Sight if not previously taken, or Revealer of Secrets (flavorful AND useful - Identify w/o the pesky 100gp pearl material component!)

Level 7

Revealer of Secrets if not previously taken, or Eyes of the Rune Keeper? (read all writing - fits concept, but not really useful by this level, I think.)

Alternatively, perhaps break slightly from battlefield control & take Repelling Blast?

Level 9

Whispers of the Grave? (speak with dead at will - could be creepy & fun, but I do worry about how much flavor I'm tempted by vs. solid utility choices)

Level 12

Really not sure.

Level 15

Witch Sight (like true seeing, but only for creatures/shapechangers)

Level 18

Unknown.

Other possibilities:

Walk Unseen - if they change it to WALK Unseen rather than 'Stand Still Unseen', definitely. Otherwise, meh.
Mask of Many Faces - disguise self could be fun, sure.
Sculpt Flesh - alter self could be fun, sure.
Eldritch Sight - spell-slot-free detect magic... is it worth an invocation, though?
Ascendant Step - 'locks no longer get fly, but levitate is available. Worth it?


Feats or Stats?

Alert - if it's unchanged, it's so good as to be almost impossible to skip.

Spell Sniper would be incredibly useful... but runs the risk of turning this crowd control build into a dedicated blaster. Perhaps take it anyway as a back up?

Medium Armor Master - if I go human, this could add 1 to AC once I get the Dex to 16. Worth it?

[Edit: Because tyop... er, typo.]

[Edit 2: Corrected errors on my point buy stats.]

 

[RangerWickett]

Where are you getting these class and race details from?

 

[Snapdragyn]

For now this is using the alpha info.

 

[ppaladin123]

YOu are free to house-rule whatever you'd like but using the 5e rules, you cannot start with an 18 in any score:

pg. 7 of the free basic rules states:

"Variant: Customizing Ability Scores

You have 27 points to spend on your ability scores...using this method, 15 is the highest you can end up with before applying racial increases."

That means you could start with a 17 maximum as a non-human and 16 maximum as a human.

 

[Snapdragyn]

Whoa, totally missed that! Well, that's the build fubared for any sort of organized play (which wasn't the intent for the character, but would've been nice to have as a possibility). Will have to point this out to my DM if we do convert to 5e & get his ruling.

 

[spitzalod]

You could mix, match and modify creating your own background- fusing Sage and Criminal Spy- selecting one Feature.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Investigation
Language and Tool Proficiencies: 1 Language and Thieves Tools
Equipment and Feature: as the Sage (Researcher) or you could take the Hermit Feature: Discovery

Feat Choices:

Magic Initiate is a good one for Tomelocks- 2 Cantrips and 1 1st Level Spell (Cast 1 per day without a Spell Slot- you can also cast it with your spell slots, which refresh after an hours short rest)
Bard or Sorcerer are probably best as the specific rule is that Wizard spells will be cast with Int and Cleric/Druid spells will be cast with Wis.

Spell Sniper you get an extra cantrip (which requires an Attack Roll includes Eldritch Blast)


Acid Splash(S), Dancing Lights (BS), Fire Bolt (S), Light (BS), Mending (BS), Message (BS), Ray of Frost (S), Shocking Grasp (S), Vicious Mockery (B)

Animal Friendship (B), Bane (B), Burning Hands (S), Chromatic Orb (S), Color Spray (S), Cure Wounds (B), Detect Magic (BS), Disguise Self (BS), Dissonant Whispers (B), Faerie Fire (B), False Life (S), Feather Fall (S), Fog Cloud (S), Jump (S), Healing Word (B), Heroism (B), Identify (B), Longstrider (B), Mage Armor (S), Magic Missile (S), Ray of Sickness (S), Shield (S), Silent Image (B), Sleep (B), Speak with Animals (B), Tashas Hideous Laughter (B), Thunderwave (B)


Cantrips- Guidance, +2 others maybe including Shillelagh (Virtual Pact Weapon)?

Invocations:

Book of Ancient Secrets: 2 1st Level Rituals from any class- it is pretty much 2 Invocations for the price of 1

Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Find Familiar, Speak with Animals

Plus you could have: Unseen Servant, Tensers Floating Disk, Purify Food & Drink, Illusory Script, Identify, Detect Poison & Disease and Alarm.

If your lucky and later locate spell scrolls and wizards spell books- duplicating from a scroll does not cast the spell- so the one shot scroll is a Tomelocks best friend.

Level 3 Rituals include: Phantom Steed, Leomunds Tiny Hut, plus more

Whispers of the Dead, looks cool and is useful upon clean up- you and your party kill the assassins/enemies then you interrogate their corpses and discover who their boss is and much more.



My character Erizel a future witch from Rashemen, currently a Harper and a member of the New Rashemi Secret Service (Spy) is at level 2 with Agonising Blast and Devils Sight. She's Fey Pact but her Patrons identity is unrevealed (it may be her future/past self). I took the Magic Initiate Feat as a variant human. Erizel is the party sneak and a party face- she is currently a blaster with some controller ability. At level 3- I reckon that I will swap out Agonising Blast for Book of Arcane Secrets- Find Familiar and one other. My cantrips at level 2 are: Minor Illusion, Eldritch Blast, Light and Message.

My intention is for my Erizel to return to Rashemen at Level 5, don her mask and receive initiation as a Hathran.
With her Book of Shadows she will have 8 cantrips- plus: Hex, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Enthrall, Counterspell, Fly. Cure Wounds as well, Invocations- Book of Arcane Secrets, Devils Sight, Misty Visions.